


Searching for Yu

by Calculator-senpai (harmonicDiscord)



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmonicDiscord/pseuds/Calculator-senpai
Summary: KHUx fanfiction with basically only OCs that belong to myself and my friends.Artina is the head of the Starryholt party. It has grown into a large ragtag group brought together by her kindness and strong leadership skills. But before any of the others joined, there was one other member, Yu, who had suddenly disappeared after only a year.





	1. Have You Seen a Girl With Hair Like This?

There was a lot Artina was capable of taking on by herself. After all, she'd braved both empty glares and pitiful stares as she attempted to recruit members, and she'd celebrated the first few weeks of her new party by eating meals alone in an empty base, save for her Chirithy.

But this was different.

She didn't even know which world Yu had gone to. Artina may have been reckless, but she knew that to search everywhere in hopes that  _ maybe  _ someone had seen her and taken note would ultimately bear no fruit. Was she injured? Dead? Lost? Kidnapped? None of those seemed likely - the girl had a level head on her shoulders, and was frequently the impulse control for most of her friends.

So, despite how irrational it seemed, part of Artina blamed herself for Yu's disappearance. It had settled on what it found to be the most reasonable explanation, which also happened to be what she feared most - that she'd been too much. That she'd been too little. That she was too weak. That she was too proud. That she'd splurged her jewels on costumes one too many times. No matter how it could be framed, Yu was still the kind, strong, compassionate soul Artina had grown to know and love. And the darkness that leered at Artina told her she was little more than a leech.

Even so, Artina couldn't give up hope. With a heavy heart that fluttered every time she thought she caught sight of those familiar black pigtails, she continued searching for answers to questions larger than herself. And she found others who were looking for something - their memories, a legend, unconditional companionship. The very least she could do was ensure her companions wouldn't be forgotten.

And on one fateful day, something blurry filled her vision. Squinting, Artina attempted to bring the object into focus.

"Have you seen a girl with hair like this?" a gratingly cheerful voice belted out. She took a step back to examine the blur and its owner. A brown chignon bun, a little button nose, and dark eyes peered up at Artina. The girl was a tiny slip of a thing, barely tall enough to reach Artina's chest, but she carried with her the determined aura of someone on a mission.

She also carried a piece of paper with only a messy blue scribble on it.

"Have you seen a girl with hair like this?" repeated the gremlin, jerking the parchment toward Artina and creating a loud fluttering sound. She was donned in autumnal colors; reds accentuated by brown and white made up her whole outfit.

"Is that... Is that laminated?" Artina managed, still fazed by the entire situation.

She nodded, beaming eagerly. The beads in her hairpiece clinked together softly. "Yeah. Have you seen a girl with hair like this, though?"

"Hmm..." Brushing back a lock of lavender hair, Artina focused on the drawing. It looked like a turnip. "Are you sure that isn't a vegetable?"

The girl frowned. "Oh, I'm  _ sorry _ , I didn't realize you were an avant garde! No, it's my cousin Yu, and I'm trying to find her!"

She froze. The drawing  _ did _ look like it had pigtails... "You said... Yu? Like, Y-U?"

"Yes! Oh Lux, everyone always thinks I'm saying Y-O-U, and they get so confused." She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Anyway, you know her?"

"She, uh..." She got sick of me and left? She might be dead? "Yeah. She was in my party."

A ray of light exploded from the girl as her face lit up. "Yes!! I finally- wait." Her eyebrows furrowed. "'Was'?"

Artina adjusted her hat uncomfortably. "She was out fighting Heartless once, and never came back. We think she's still alive, because her Chirithy is around, but he doesn't remember anything and lost all his power."

"Huh..." Lowering the paper, she stared into the space behind Artina for a moment. Then, she haphazardly stuffed it in her bag as she held out a hand. "I'm Rui, spelled R-U-I. I'll be joining your party for the time being."

Flustered, Artina struggled to find words. Never had anyone ever asked to join the party like this. "Wait, I haven't even given you the spiel, or - or - I don't-"

Rui grabbed her hand and shook it. "No worries! Just give me a room and I'll pull my weight, I promise."

A smile slowly replaced the shock on her face. “Welcome to Starryholt, Rui. I'm Artina."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, you are probably one of my friends or terribly lost, but somehow decided this was the right thing for you to read. Thanks for getting here lol.
> 
> Very, very slow updates because I take a long time t o write. This was actually originally started mid-2018, so, uh, yikes.


	2. Yu or You?

Daily tasks weren’t an unbearable chore for Curly. If anything at all, they helped strengthen her short-term memory, which - although her past had returned to her - still had issues. As such, it was with great vigor that she went about collecting trash bags from each of the rooms of Starryholt’s base, humming a melancholy mountain song all the while.

At Yu’s closed door, she stopped and knocked. “It’s Curly. I’m just popping in to see if you’re alright.”

There was no answer, but she figured that Yu’s Chirithy was just busy staring into space as usual. Turning the handle and pushing the creaky door open (she’d have to remind Artina to assign someone to grease the door hinges soon), she took a peek inside.

Yu’s room was much the same as it had always been, and served as a reflection of how the mysterious girl lived. Curly liked to occasionally look around and imagine that they would’ve been good friends. Clean, neat, and orderly, there was a place for everything and everything was in its place. On the desk, writing implements were crisply placed in cases, and loose papers were held down by paperweights. The sheets were tucked precisely under the covers, and the pillows were as fluffed as ever.

No. Something was off.

“Chirithy…?” She called out. “It’s just me. Are you in here?”

No response.

Panicking, she rushed down the stairs to the lounge, where Rui and Jasper were bickering over a board game. “Have you seen Yu’s Chirithy?”

The two stopped to look up. “No,” they chirped at the same time.

“Jinx; you owe me a hi-potion!” Rui stuck her tongue out at Jasper mockingly.

“No fair!” He crossed his arms and pouted. “Curly looks like she has something important to say, so I wanted to hear it.”

“Yes, um, Yu’s Chirithy wasn’t in her room today.” Seeing their eyes widen, she quickly continued, “I-I think it probably isn’t a big deal? I just wanted to make sure, though.”

“Yeah.” Rui stood, expression sobering. “Thank you. I’ll find Artina.”

Before long, the whole party sat in the lounge, fidgeting nervously. Though he was sprawled supine across the carpet, Wolf’s eye followed Artina as she paced back and forth, clearly putting a speech together.

“Alright, everyone.” Their attention snapped to her. “Yu’s Chirithy is missing. That’s why we’ve gathered. We don’t know what else this means. He could be taking a walk. Maybe Yu could have returned, and she’s gone to her side. Maybe-...” She stopped. Artina didn’t talk about Yu much, but from what Curly had pieced together from conversations between her and Rui, she knew the next two unspoken words were _she’s dead_.

“Most importantly, though, we are _not_ going to chase ghosts or rumors, especially not on your own.” She flashed a pointed look at Jasper, who winced and grinned apologetically. “I know there aren’t a lot of us, but every one of you matters, whether you like it or not. Do not, under any circumstances, go on missions alone.”

Her gaze softened. “That being said, we haven’t had issues so far. I want to remind everyone to be careful because of everything going on. Don’t overwork yourselves. We may not be the most glorious party, but I care about you. That’s why I’m here. That’s why we’re all here.”

She wasn’t wrong. They were somewhat of a ragtag group in a union full of incredibly powerful parties, but their friendship mattered more than collecting the most Lux that week.

“Okay, so with that in mind!” Artina’s usual cheery demeanor returned. “Today’s your day off. Relax, have some fun, don’t get in too much trouble. Break!”

* * *

A week passed with no news, and then another day off came.

Curly pondered what to do. She could change up the decorations: they’d been up for a little over two months now. She could take a nap in one of the fields nearby. She could sketch the flowers one last time before the summer heat took them away. Or she -

“Curly!” Rui bounced up to the blonde. “I dug through the fridge because I wanted some ice cream, but I found out we have nothing left, so I wanted to buy some ice cream for everyone and also maybe stop by a plant store. I thought you might be interested in joining?” She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Also, Jasper feels bad about owing me a hi-potion from last week, and I feel bad that he feels bad, so I’m buying one and telling him that I stole his munny.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

Rui skipped the whole way there and only got distracted three times. Curly had to wonder how they were the same age. The shorter girl was always bursting with energy and easily distracted, and Curly… was… easily…

She looked down at her hands and noticed a carton of ice cream was present. When did that get there?

“ _Hewwoza!_ ” Rui screamed at the sleeping moogle in charge of the item store. The poor creature snorted and shuddered awake.

“No need to yell, kupu!” The moogle blearily rushed to neaten out the display. “I’ve been awake. I never slept. I swear. What do you want, kupu?”

“One hi-potion, please.” Rui gave the storekeeper her brightest grin as she slid the munny across the stand. He began to count it all carefully, taking a painstakingly excessive amount of time on each one. After about two-hundred, Curly started to look around the town square bustling with activity. It was nearly noon, and wielders filled the square. Some were napping under a tree. Others were bargaining for cheaper prices. A few sat around the fountain, eating and sharing jokes.

A flash of dark pigtails and a black ribbon caught her attention. She didn’t really know her missing teammate’s face well, but with everything going on, it was worth a shot. Leaning down, she whispered, “Rui, does that girl over there look like Yu at all?”

“She you _what_ .” Her eyes widened and darted around the square. Her head soon began to swivel, quickly followed by frantic body-twists. “Oh! Oh my Lux. _Yu!_ ”

Annnd Curly had lost her in the crowd. With a quick apology to the moogle, she grabbed Rui’s hi-potion and tried to find the gremlin. Fortunately enough, Yu-or-maybe-not was fairly tall and wore bright gold-and-white clothing. Curly felt a twinge of nostalgia - those colors frequently caused some sadness to bubble up in her - but brushed it away when she saw Rui.

“Yu! _Yu!!_ ” Rui had thrown her arms around Yu and was crying. “Oh my Lux, it’s me! I followed you here, but you weren’t _here_ , but I finally found you. Where have you been?”

Confusion spread across her face. “Who… what? Are you lost?”

“Yu, you don’t…?” She backed up and peered into her face. “Are you not Yu? You look ju… oh, Lux, you don’t even have the right eyes.”

Ever an open book, disappointment washed over Rui’s visage as she pulled away. “No. Sorry. I’ve been looking for my cousin. Her name is Yu. Y-U. You just… look exactly like her. Aside from the eyes. And the glasses. And the clothes. And… _ugh_ , Lux…!”

Curly made her way over to put an arm around Rui, who immediately shoved her face into her shoulder to cry. She mumbled miserably between sobs. “I thought it was her, Curly. I thought we found her. I thought we were on a streak. Artina found Wolf, you found your memories, Jasper found Avis. I…”

“Shh, shh, I know.” She rubbed her head comfortingly. “I know.”

She looked up and examined the Yu lookalike more closely. Bright green eyes framed by circular glasses gazed back, looking completely befuddled. So it really wasn’t her.

“Sorry,” Curly managed. “It’s been a rough time for our whole party.”

She nodded slowly, clearly trying to process everything that was going on. “I get it. Not everyday someone says you’re their cousin’s doppelgänger, but I get it. I, uh.” She extended a hand shyly. “I’m Norabel.”

She shook the offered hand. “Curly.”

“So, by any chance, do you know of the party Ohmslaw?”

Wracking her brain, Curly frowned. “I don’t believe so?”

Norabel simpered somewhat vacantly and swayed slightly from left to right. “We’re registered under Unicornis, but we take people from all unions. For instance, I’m actually in Leopardos.”

Interesting. Though she had friends from other unions, Curly hadn’t heard of an actual multi-union party before.

“Anyway! I’m, um, kind of… lost?” Her grin turned sheepish. “I’ve been stuck in Twilight Town for a week or so, because I’m a little… directionally challenged, I guess. I’ve bounced around different inns and party bases, but everyone’s too busy to help me get back to Maralqas.”

“We can help.” Rui was now wiping her tears on her sleeves. “I mean, it’s up to Artina, but we care more about helping people than Lux. We’re pretty strong, too, for a small party.”

Norabel nodded enthusiastically. “That would be amazing.” Brows furrowed, she continued, “Also, I’m… sorry about your cousin. Though I _am_ glad it brought us together.”

As they set off toward the Starryholt base, Curly handed Rui her hi-potion. “You left this behind.”

“Oh! Thank you.” She beamed up at her. It seemed that, aside from some pink splotches on her face, she was all back to normal. “You’re always so thoughtful.”

“Even when I space out and forget things?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

After a minute of quiet companionable walking, Norabel spoke up. “So, Curly, Rui, I take it you’re from the same party? What’s it called?”

“Starryholt,” they responded in unison.

“Jinxyouowemea - hey, where’d our ice cream go?”

Curly clapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh, no. I must have dropped it.” She looked at Rui apologetically. “I’m so sorry. I got so caught up in everything-”

She flapped a hand dismissively. “No worries, we can just get more later.”

Norabel, meanwhile, was tapping her chin with her forefinger. “Hmm… Starryholt? Sounds familiar, I think.”

Rui snorted. “You really don’t have to pretend for us. We’re registered under Vulpes, and we’ve never even ranked in the top 40,000.”

“Maybe it sounds like a more famous party? Or one with synonyms, or something,” suggested Curly.

She shrugged. “Probably. Tell me more about your members.”

“Well, our leader is Artina. She’s got giant, fluffy purple hair- ” She threw her arms out and hopped once to illustrate. “-and is super badass. But she’s also super nice and cares a lot about people, y’know? Enormous heart and all that.”

“She once found an injured werewolf Heartless and felt there was something off about him, so she brought him back and nursed him to health. Somehow, with her kindness, she returned him back to his true human form. He… doesn’t exactly have all his memories, so we just call him Wolf.”

Norabel’s eyes glinted with interest. “Fascinating. I’d like to meet this Wolf, if you don’t mind.”

“He’s a biiig fluffy sweetie. Always looks grumpy and is a little bit of a stink-boy, but he’s a big softie inside.” Rui had returned to skipping cheerily.

“Is there anyone else in Starryholt?”

“There’s Jasper. He’s a sweet boy who loves mysteries and conspiracy theories. Rui likes to pick on him.”

“He is a tiny idiot and I love him. But you can’t let him know I said either of those things.” She finally came to a stop and turned to Norabel, throwing her arms wide. “Welcome to the home of Starryholt!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	3. Coleslaw

“Is, uh… is that it?” Curly grunted, pushing back a loose strand of sweaty hair with a grimy hand. For the last day and a half, they had been jumping between worlds and hitching rides on Gummi Ships while asking locals for directions. And on top of that, they’d been traversing a tundra on foot for the last two hours.

But now, an oasis stretched before them. A singular building rose in the air with an almost-otherworldly glow, and several wielders were sparring in the sand.

“Yes!” Norabel stepped forward. “We’re here.”

“Norabel? Oh my Lux, is that you?” A young white-haired girl broke away from the other wielders and rushed toward them. She grasped her by the shoulders. “This is why you shouldn’t go on missions alone!”

“I know, I know, but everything turned out just fine! I made some friends who were kind enough to help me get back.” She pulled away and gestured toward the members of Starryholt, introducing them one by one. “And this is Aysel, one of the youngest and newest members of Ohmslaw.”

“It’s so good to meet all of you. Come inside! You’ve got to meet Leona.”

As Aysel led them through the winding staircases and lavish decor of the base, other members frequently stopped to greet the group and welcome Norabel back.

“This base is enormous,” Jasper mumbled to Artina.

“Yeah, I’m a little jealous,” she admitted, “Sorry I can’t really get us a better place.”

He shrugged. “I dunno. Expanding is always good, but I like everyone in the party right now, y’know? Being close doesn’t bother me.”

She paused. “I think I know what you mean, yeah.”

“Excuse me, are you visitors? I don’t believe I recognize any of you.”

Jasper turned to see a tall, mahogany-skinned woman wearing a white dress with gold and red embroidery. She had an authoritative air about her that made it clear she was older than Artina, but was still relatively young.

“Leona! These guys from Vulpes brought Norabel back. We should let them stay for a while!”

“Ah.” She smiled warmly at the party. “Welcome back, Norabel. And, to our foxy friends, thank you for escorting her. Your help is greatly appreciated. I am Leona, as you may have surmised. As leader of Ohmslaw, I would like to formally invite your party to remain at our base until you have recovered.”

Artina stepped forward and offered a hand. “I’m Artina. As leader of Starryholt, I would like to humbly accept your invitation.”

* * *

“So, what do you think?”

The words snapped Jasper out of his reverie. Leona had settled down in the seat across from him.

“Well, I didn’t think there would be anyone out here, much less this many.” Jasper discreetly attempted to wipe away the puddle of condensation that had collected around his glass. “Thank you again for letting us stay.”

“Where there’s Heartless, there’s Lux. Where there’s Lux, there’s keyblade wielders. Where there’s wielders, there’s bound to be parties.” She tucked a strand of persimmon hair behind her ear. “Of course, Ohmslaw could only grow to this size because we opened it up to wielders of all Unions.”

He peered into his lemonade and stirred the ice. “What does the party name mean, anyway?”

Leona chuckled. “Uri originally suggested ‘Lumen’, actually.”

“And I still stand by that name, generic as it may sound.” The sleepy-eyed monocled boy dropped into the seat beside Jasper. Leona rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, I really love physics, so my brain jumped to Ohm’s Law. Since Ohms measure resistance, and we resist darkness, I thought it would be cool. Uri, though… hm. What was it that you said?” She closed her eyes and took a sip of her drink. When he didn’t continue the story as prompted, she raised an eyebrow and gave him a look.

Sheepishly, Uri ran a pale hand through his mass of strawberry waves. “I thought she was mispronouncing coleslaw.”

Jasper tuned out their friendly banter as he watched three other members - Kiran, Lucy, and Aileen, he was pretty sure - duel amongst themselves. Their swordwork was exceedingly skillful; simultaneously attacking and blocking and artful all at once. Kiran tended to put power behind big sweeping motions, which Lucy tried to take advantage of with her speed, but then Aileen would cast a spell out of nowhere. Then, in a blink, they would switch roles without pause.

The sound of mischievous snickering and snorting approached, and someone clapped a hand on Jasper’s arm. He turned to see Rui doubled over from laughter and barely capable of getting any coherent words out.

“J-Jas.  _ Jas _ , you will not  _ believe _ what just happened. Oh my Lux.”

“Leona, you’ve got to listen too. And Uri, I know you don’t like pranks, but this one is  _ so _ good, I swear.”

A little miffed he hadn’t been included but still curious to hear about it, he asked, “What happened?”

“So I have my -” They both began, then looked at one another and burst into laughter.

“Girls, please, breathe. There’s water over there.” Uri gestured toward the fountain nearby.

“No, no, it’s okay. Rui should start.”

“Okay, so I have my hairpiece, right?” She pointed at the flower-like accessory made of beads. “So Aysel excuses herself to go to the bathroom, and I swap it out for a smaller one. She doesn’t notice anything, so I go get a snack and swap it for another smaller one. She still doesn’t say anything about it, and then gets pulled away to check on something. While she’s gone, I swap it out for an even smaller one. And when she comes back, I realize her bow is, like,  _ tiny. _ ”

“And  _ I _ realize  _ her _ hairpiece is, like,  _ tiny _ .”

“So we kind of just look at each other, like…” They mimicked each other’s gawking expressions.

“So yeah, basically, we tried to play the exact same prank on each other at the exact same time!” Aysel finished, eyes glimmering with delight.

Uri rolled his eyes. “Oh dear. We don’t need another Aysel.”

“Or this could be a wonderful opportunity for them to learn to put their jokes to use. You never know,” Leona said, amusement masked beneath her chastising tone.

“Yes, because the Heartless will be tricked into confusion by changing hat sizes and start attacking one another.”

“Well,  _ no _ , not exactly that, but we could totally lure them into something and get ‘em stuck!”

“Rui, can I talk to you for a sec?” Jasper finally managed.

“Sure!”

They walked a few yards away from the others, who quickly began chatting amongst themselves.

“So… what’s up? Everything okay?”

He sighed, starting to feel tears well up. “Honestly, I’m… upset you did that without me. I get that you’re allowed to have other friends, obviously, and Aysel seems really great, but I’m kind of a little bit annoyed,” he finally managed.

Rui’s face dropped. “I’m sorry, Jasper. I didn’t mean to exclude you.”

Oh no, he did  _ not _ mean to make her feel bad. “No, no, you did nothing wrong. I just - I’d just really like to…” He waved his hands as if to catch the words, face heating up rapidly. Lux, why did he need to blurt that out in front of everyone else? “You know what, I guess I’ll have to come up with a better one for both of you.” He grinned.

Her usual cheery demeanor returned. “For sure! I’m gonna have to hype you up. Come on!” She grabbed his hand and dragged him back to Aysel.

“Aysel, I know you see me as an equal in the trickster world, but I’ll have you know Jasper taught me everything I know.”

She inspected him. “You kind of remind me of someone. Kind and sweet, but loved pranks, and wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself.” Aysel furrowed her brow. As she continued speaking, her voice grew quieter. “Maybe my brother. He’s… um...”

“Oh, right! I wanted to ask you something,” Leona interjected, “Norabel mentioned that Starryholt is housing a former Heartless. I’m very intrigued on what this means.” She leaned forward, the tips of her hair brushing the table. “Are Heartless… purifiable? Was Lux used in this operation?”

“Uh, for one, Wolf’s always been human,” Rui began, looking a little offended. “We’re not too sure how, but someone turned him into a werewolf Heartless. He looked pretty different, though, and wasn’t as aggressive as others.”

“I see. We’ll have to keep an eye out for others, then. How did it happen, though?”

Jasper scratched his head. “Well, I don’t think any Lux was used to turn him back. Honestly, none of us are too clear on what happened. We think it had to do with Artina’s kindness, though. And, uh, the fact that he was always human.”

“Ah. Interesting. I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of purifying Heartless rather than… barbarically defeating them all. After all, they almost seem to be made of Lux, considering how they burst into it upon defeat.”

“Leona, Uri, we have an urgent message for you. Please come to the meeting room at once.” A muscular woman with short cherry hair had suddenly appeared.

Leona sighed. “Thank you for the enlightening conversation. I must go now.”

Rui watched as they disappeared into the base. Then, turning back to Aysel, she asked, “So what were you going to say about your brother?”

“My - huh?” Aysel blinked. “Oh! He’s... I… I can’t. I… what’s his...?”

Rui and Jasper exchanged a look.

“Aysel, is everything okay?”

She squinted at him, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. He felt his soul was being scoured, and then she broke into giggles.

“Marron. My Lux, that was weird. You’re just like Marron, Jasper. Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. I should go check on Hikari and Dawn. They wanted some advice on using healing spells while fighting.” With that, she dashed away.

* * *

Jasper awoke to the sound of something rapping on glass. He groaned and rolled away, clutching the blankets to form a cocoon sound barrier. The tapping slowed, but got louder, as if to convey annoyance.

Wait. He was on the fourth floor of an unfamiliar base.

Warily, he turned to face the intruder, and was immediately greeted by a familiar silhouette.

His feet met the cold marble floor as he dashed to the French doors and threw them open.

“Avis! I can’t believe you’re-”

She held out a gloved hand. “Hush. There’s no time. Ohmslaw isn’t all it appears to be. Don’t try to investigate; you’ll get hurt.” She paused, tilting her head and straining her ears. “I was never here.”

And like that, she was gone.

A light knock came from the wooden door to the hallway. Jasper opened it to see one of the older members of Ohmslaw - a tall, broad-shouldered man who always seemed to have a five o’clock shadow.

“Excuse me? It’s Aaron. I was walking from the bathroom when I heard some loud banging noises. Is everything alright?”

“Um, yeah!” He responded shakily, “Just, uh, just woke up and felt a little lightheaded. Thought some fresh air would help, but the windows got kind of stuck. Thanks for checking!”

His bright green eyes blinked owlishly as he hesitated. Finally, he bade him farewell and shuffled away. Jasper shut the door and flopped back onto the bed, his mind racing. Had Avis followed them here? Or was this merely a coincidence? What was so deceptive about Ohmslaw? How did she know?

Most importantly, how dangerous would investigating be, and how deep could he get before “getting hurt”?

* * *

“Jasper, Rui. Congratulations on becoming the newest members of Ohmslaw!” Leona beamed at them. “You’ve already been assigned new rooms. We’ll do a proper ceremony in a few days. But until then, you are free to relax and do as you wish.”

The moment she finished speaking, Aysel ran and tackled them into a group bearhug. “I’m so excited! I can’t wait to spend more time with you guys.”

“Please do avoid getting into too much trouble. My poor old heart cannot handle any more yelling,” Uri smirked, pushing his shaggy strawberry bangs on top of his head.

Aysel rolled her eyes. “Then just stop yelling, old man.” She grabbed Jasper and Rui by their hands. “Come on, let’s go do some fun stuff.”

She led them down some halls and into a random room. Putting a finger over her lips, she pulled out a piece of paper in the shape of a cockroach. “Edna  _ hates _ bugs, and always reads in the third-floor common room at 7 in the evening. I’m going to put this bad boy in the lampshade and wait.” Her turquoise eyes glimmered in delight in her dark freckled face.

“What if someone else comes by?” Jasper asked.

She shook her head. “Nobody really goes there. It’s why she picks it.”

Next, she took out a plate covered in tinfoil. “I’m going to say that I have brownies and offer them to a few people. Dawn, probably, and maybe Lanie. Inside are actually little plastic letter Es that are brown. Brown-Es.” She beamed. “Rui gave me that one.”

“Actually, I got that one from Jasper. That was one of our first interactions,” she admitted.

Aysel nodded. “You’re impressive, Jasper. Do you know what I’ll be doing with these?” She held up a box full of googly eyes.

“Putting them all over the place?” he asked.

“Close. Putting them all over Leona’s room, if I can get in. If not, it’ll be Uri’s room.”

He winced, and noticed Rui doing the same from the corner of his eye. “Is that… is that a good idea?”

She shrugged. “Leona’s always fine with it. She says if she forgets to lock her room, that’s her own fault. And Uri will get over it. He’s a chill guy, and I don’t really think he minds pranks as much as he pretends to.”

“If you really think so. Anything else you got?”

“That’s all I have prepared, but the day is young!” Aysel winked.

Jasper cleared his throat. “I think all of these on the first day we’ve been initiated might not be the best idea.”

“Well, you’ve all already been here for two weeks now, and I’ve been here for months. They’re used to it, I promise.”

“Then…” Rui picked up the box of googly eyes. “Let’s get started.”

* * *

“Lux, I can’t stop thinking about Muriel’s face when we pulled open the tinfoil! All like…” Rui scrunched up her nose and opened her mouth, curling her upper lip just enough to show her top teeth.

“And then Thanh just grabbing one and biting right down!” Aysel cackled.

“Or when Aaron picked up his keyblade and just… dropped it.” Jasper mimed dropping something and staring at it with a blank face, mouth slightly agape.

Aysel snorted. “And Edna’s scream when she saw the silhouette?”

“I still feel kind of bad for the lampshade, but at least the lamp is fine.”

The white-haired girl slowed her pace and stopped in front of a door. “Well, this is me. I had a lot of fun, guys. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“Your hijinks were good, but just you wait.” Rui grinned and pulled Jasper into a headlock. “Good night, Aysel.”

“Good night!” She gave a final wave and shut the door.

He pulled out of the tight grip, and they began walking back toward their own rooms. “You know… It might not be so bad. I’m sure you-know had her reasons to appear, but everyone seems nice and happy.”

“Yeah. They’re all really smart and strong. I think we can learn a lot from here.”

“And Aysel has a lot to learn from us,” he joked.

As they passed by Leona’s room, they heard Uri’s voice.

“I am concerned about Aysel.”

Jasper and Rui exchanged a look and a nod before they got on either side of the door to eavesdrop.

“It seems she is remembering things we attempted to suppress. Such as Marron.”

“You’re right. To be fair, though, Uri, we didn’t really suppress much. Just removed outside ties. And she only mentioned him once a few weeks ago.”

“Perhaps. However, her antics are getting out of hand. It is clear she is trying to remember him. While it may be possible that none of this is intention, Rui and Jasper are clearly acting as catalysts.”

“So you’re saying we need to get rid of them, too.”

“Correct. Dire circumstances call for dire actions. We may need to fix her. Fully.”

“Honestly, I don’t trust those two, either. We may need to fully fix both of them and the rest of that wretched party.” A frustrated exhalation. “I  _ told _ you that girl was bad news. We never should’ve let her go out on her own. Of course she was going to find her old party.”

“At least we know more about that Heartless now.”

“Lux.  _ That blasted Heartless _ . I swear, if I get my hands on that monster, I’ll rip it to pieces.”

“So, we shall fill them all with enough Lux to bend their minds to blank slates, then convince them to retrieve the Heartless one for… investigation?” A low chuckle. “That seems cruel, even for you, Leona.”

“Well, Uri, we do what we must for the Light.” An exasperated sigh.

“Everything is for the Light.”

A beat, then, confidently, “Yes. Everything is for the Light.”

Silence stretched through time before Uri spoke up again.

“Well. I suppose I shall head out. Good night.”

Hastily, Jasper and Rui stole away to his room. Once the door was shut, they slowly made eye contact, and their faces melted into unrestrained shock.

Rui was the first to speak. “This was nowhere near what I expected. I can’t believe it. I… what have they been putting their members through?  _ Bending their minds to blank slates? _ ”

“I… I don’t know what to think. Is this just… some sort of cult? They ‘fix’ people by erasing memories, so basically they brainwash people. But they’re also obsessed with Light. It’s…” He trailed off as he began to pace back and forth vigorously.

“They mentioned a girl who was bad news and wasn’t supposed to go out alone. Which sounds like Norabel. I… I think Norabel is, or was, Yu. Just… ‘fixed.’” Rui curled up into herself. “It makes too much sense. Lux, what did they  _ do _ to her?”

“And they’ll do the same to Aysel.”

A loud sob snapped him to attention, and he looked over to her.

She was already a very small girl. But with her knees and elbows tucked into her chest, her hands covering her face, and her whole presence yearning to fade away, it seemed as though she were just a child.

She  _ is _ a child, Jasper thought to himself, and so am I. We’re just children caught up in a very rough situation, and we have to get out of it ourselves, because no one else can.

He knelt down beside her and ruffled her hair. “Hey,” he said, “Hey. It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna tell Artina and Curly, and we’ll get Yu, and we’ll try to warn Aysel, and everything will be okay. Yeah?”

She mumbled something that was muffled between hiccups. He rubbed her shoulders soothingly and asked her to repeat herself.

Rui lifted her head. Her splotchy face was covered in uneven rivulets of tears.

“I said,” she snarled, “I’m gonna make them fucking pay.”


End file.
